


Citadel Aftermath

by maelerie



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Big brother Cody, Brotherly Love, CC-2224 | Cody Gets A Hug, CC-2224 | Cody Needs a Hug, CC-2224 | Cody is a Good Bro, CT-7567 | Rex Gets a Hug, CT-7567 | Rex Needs a Hug, CT-7567 | Rex is a Good Bro, Commander Cody Week (Star Wars), Hurt/Comfort, Little Brother Rex, POV CC-2224 | Cody, Siblings CC-2224 | Cody & CT-7567 | Rex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-19
Updated: 2021-03-19
Packaged: 2021-03-28 18:14:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30143577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maelerie/pseuds/maelerie
Summary: Of the handful of clones that went into the Citadel, only Cody, Rex and Fives make it back to base. Cody silently mourns the men he lost and battles his frustration at some of the actions the Jedi made during the mission. Torn between his loyalty to the Republic and the loyalty to his brothers, Cody comforts Rex, who is feeling much the same. In the quiet moments after their rescue, each brother helps the other through the aftermath of the costly nightmare that was the Citadel.
Relationships: CC-2224 | Cody & CT-7567 | Rex
Comments: 4
Kudos: 38





	Citadel Aftermath

**Author's Note:**

> **Author’s notes** : It’s been five years since I last wrote something. Woah. Life just got in the way and I didn’t really feel like writing. But look, it seems like The Clone Wars sparked some of that fire back into me again! Going in, I never thought this show would have an impact on me. I just wanted some more Star Wars content after finishing The Mandalorian. But damn, did it have an impact! Especially when it came to the clones, I got very emotionally attached. But I wanted soooooo much more clone content! So into the rabbit hole I went of fanart and fanfiction, and I have to say: I really love the talent and creativity in the TCW-fandom :) I read a Tumblr post that spoke of the, uhm, _significant difference_ in the main protagonists' reaction to a clone death and a fellow Jedi death in the Citadel Arc, and boy did I feel the same! So I started writing this. Then I saw a post of the _commander cody week_ event on Tumblr and this oneshot fit right into the prompt for day 7. (It could’ve also fit the prompt for day 1 as there is a lot of brotherly love and comfort between cody & rex in here.) Soooooo I worked on it some more, and here it is. I hope you like it!
> 
>  **Extra note** : Apart from the usual suspects, Charger and Longshot, the other clones who died during the Citadel arc didn’t have names, so I took it upon myself to name them. Readers, meet Tap, Blithe and Skip! (Who could therefore be considered as my OC’s, I guess? Anyway, just a heads-up so you’re not confused.)

\--

The ride in the gunship had been silent. 

Everyone was still on edge as they watched the army of crab droids overrun the island they had been standing on moments before, knowing that they weren’t safe yet. Only when they landed in General Koon’s Venator-class Star Destroyer and the order was given to retreat and jump into hyperspace, did Cody allow himself to breathe out the sigh he had been holding.

He had survived, but in the process of his own survival, he had lost all of the men he had personally handpicked from the 212th for this mission. Men who had proven their worth time and time again, who had earned his trust and his pride. Men who followed him into the jaws of death without question. Men whose lives had been snuffed out in horrible ways. 

He should be relieved that any of them had made it back at all, but instead he felt guilty and incompetent. He always did after a campaign or mission as costly as this one.

The only relief he felt was that Rex had survived as well. _Thank the Force for that at least_ , Cody called on whatever deity was out there as he was the last one to step out of the gunship, his gaze fixed on his brother in blue, even if it was a selfish thought. 

There was movement on his left as General Kenobi came into Cody’s view, looking about as tired as Cody felt. He was accompanied by general Koon and commander Wolffe, who had come along with his general in the gunship. Behind them he could see general Skywalker and commander Tano approaching Rex, who was staying close to Fives, the only other clone who had made it out of the Citadel alive.

Cody straightened as Kenobi came to a halt in front of him. “Sir.”

“Commander,” Kenobi said kindly. “I am dismissing you for the day. It has been a long few hours for all of us. Get some rest. You’ve more than earned it.”

Cody never liked it when his general ordered him to rest as he himself kept on working. Something he was bound to do now as well.

“What about you, sir?” Cody asked.

Kenobi smiled wryly and glanced to the side were a visibly annoyed captain Tarkin was waiting on him and the other Jedi generals, probably to discuss what had gone wrong during the rescue attempt. “I am still needed, but I’m sure it won’t take too long.” Tarkin started tapping his foot. Kenobi looked doubtful. “I will see you at the next rotation, commander. Check on your men and rest.”

Cody was glad his helmet hid his frown. He had the urge to ball his fist at his general’s offhand remark, but he saluted instead. _What men?_ he thought in frustration.

General Kenobi returned the salute with a nod and general Koon put his hand gently on Wolffe’s shoulder as he addressed him. “Commander Wolffe, please see to some spare sleeping quarters for your brothers. I will meet you back on the bridge when you are ready.”

“Yes sir.” Wolffe said briskly.

Cody stared after his general’s retreating back, not entirely sure if the frustration he felt with him was justified. Kenobi must have been really tired. He would not have made that ignorant comment otherwise. Cody really wanted to believe that. He knew Obi-Wan Kenobi was a good man. Someone who cared. But some of his words and actions during the mission came flooding back into Cody’s mind and a sliver of doubt wound itself into his head and his heart.

He was snapped out of his thoughts by Wolffe, who had been looking at him instead of the generals when they had turned to leave. “You okay, Cody?”

Even though Cody could not see his face, he could hear the concern in Wolffe’s voice. Wolffe was not exactly known for being soft, but he was Cody’s batchmate. They had grown up together. Faced Kamino together. They knew each other better than they knew themselves and because of that, Cody, his batchmates, Rex (who had been handpicked for the ARC training program by Alpha-17 himself) and some of the other clone commanders who had trained under Alpha-17 knew that behind Wolffe’s gruff exterior lurked a surprisingly gentle brother. 

Cody’s frown vanished and he smiled fondly underneath his own bucket. “Yeah. Yeah I’m fine, _vod_.”

He got a grunt and a spaulder-to-spaulder shove in response. “No, you’re not, but you won’t admit it, as per usual.”

Cody snorted at that. Wolffe also knew _him_ better than he knew himself. In more pleasant circumstances, he would have stubbornly tried to deny his brother’s accusation, but he was too tired at the moment to even try.

“Come on, let’s find you and the others a bunk.” Wolffe said, shoving Cody lightly once more for good measure as he made his way towards Rex and Fives who had just saluted their general and commander. The two Jedi retreating the same way his own general had gone. 

Cody fell into step beside Wolffe. The hangar was mostly cleared out by now, making the sound of their boots echo off the durasteel walls. 

“Fives, talk to me.”

Rex was holding the ARC-trooper by the arm, trying to make Fives face him, but the latter did not budge. Cody and Wolffe came to a stop in front of them, eyeing Fives as well. He looked frozen in place.

“Fives,” Rex tried again, softly, almost pleadingly. “Come on Fives, look at me.”

But Fives did not look at Rex. Instead he yanked his arm out of the captain’s grasp without a word and turned away from them, disappearing into the nearest hallway.

“Fives, wait!” Rex made a move to go after him, but Cody stopped him with a firm hand on his shoulder.

“Let him go _vod_. He probably wants to be alone.”

Rex’s arm had been hanging in midair, reaching out after Fives. At Cody’s words, the arm dropped listlessly to his side. His helmet dipping down in defeat. Cody could not see his brother’s face, but he could imagine the look of silent anguish he was probably wearing and it made his own heart ache.

“Don’t worry,” Wolffe said, typing something into his commlink. “I’ll have the brothers on patrol looking out for him. He won’t just disappear. No sense in waiting on him here, though. You both need some sleep. Come on, this way.” Wolffe’s tone was nonnegotiable and he started walking.

Cody still had his hand on Rex’s shoulder and he lightly put some pressure on it to get him moving. His hand slid down to Rex’s upper arm to steady him when he felt his brother sway. Rex was more tired than he let on.

Walking through the hallways of the ship, they were saluted by several troopers on patrol. Some of them shiny and in awe enough to stop and stare at the three older clones passing them by. Legends in their eyes.  
Cody did his best to salute them all back, but Rex didn’t seem to have the energy to. If this had been the beginning of the war, Cody would have most certainly reprimanded him for that, but it had only taken a couple of months before even the Marshall Commander’s strictness for regulations had become worn. 

Wolffe halted in front of a door and punched the security code into the pad next to it, making it slide open. He stepped aside so that Cody and Rex could walk in.

“No one’s using this one for now. There are ten bunks in here, so there’s more than enough room, and there are some fresh blacks in the lockers of the adjacent fresher. Get yourselves comfortable.” 

Cody nodded and guided Rex into the room. “Thanks, Wolffe.”

“What about Five─” Rex started, but Wolffe cut him off.

“I’ll comm you if one of the patrols finds him. He might’ve found the barracks by now though and decided to sleep there, so don’t wait up for it. Just get some rest. That’s an order, captain.”

Rex scoffed, but Cody could hear the smile in his voice. “Yes sir.”

Wolffe nodded. “Same goes for you, commander.”

Cody rolled his eyes behind his visor as Wolffe gave them a two-finger salute, left and let the door slide closed behind him.

With a loud exhale, Cody finally took off his helmet and rolled his neck, making it pop satisfactory. He placed the bucket on one of the lower bunks and unclasped the top half of his armor-pieces, relishing in the physical weight that lifted from him, giving his aching muscles some much needed space.  
When he turned around in order to sit down onto the bunk and take off his boots, he saw Rex had not moved, standing at the footboard of the bunk beside his. Helmet still in place.

Cody’s brow creased in worry. “Come on Rex, start unclasping. No use worrying about Fives now. Wolffe will find him. He’ll be fine.”

Rex jerked, his visor boring into Cody. “Fine?” He sounded strained. “ _He’ll be fine_?! Force, Cody! He’ll be fine when enough time has passed, sure, but right now, he’s most definitely not _fine_! He lost the last one of his batchmates. Him and Echo… They were inseparable…” Rex let out a deep sigh, his initial flare of anger losing its heat. “I should be out there looking for him.”

He slumped down onto the bed, elbows on his knees and his helmet dipped low. Cody abandoned his intent to take off his boots and was in front of his brother in seconds. He lowered himself onto his knees, looking up at Rex’s bucket mere inches from his own face.

“You’re right,” Cody admitted. “Fives is most likely not fine at this moment, but neither are you.”

He raised his arms to take a hold of Rex’s helmet and lifted it off his face after his brother didn’t give any indication for him to stop. The moment Cody saw the lone tear rolling down Rex’s cheek, his heart ached. Wanting nothing more than to ease his brother’s pain, he sat up straighter and pulled their foreheads together.

They sat in silence for a while, grasping onto the comfort that their proximity brought. Cody’s head was in turmoil as he unconsciously soaked in his brother’s grief, the faces of the men he had lost floating mentally in front of him, but he kept his own features clear of any emotion, looking steadily ahead. A pilar that his brother could lean on.  
Rex’s eyes were closed shut. The tear that had slipped its carefully constructed boundaries dropped onto the floor between them, but no other tears followed.

“You were close to Echo too, _kih’vod_ ,” Cody said eventually. “Give yourself some time to heal first, before you run to heal others.”

A sad little chuckle escaped Rex’s lips at that and he lifted his head so he could look Cody in the eye. “You’re one to talk, _ori’vod_.”

Cody, already missing the contact, leaned his own elbows on Rex’s knees and loosely held his forearms. His brother mindlessly mirrored him as Cody raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

Rex looked incredulous. “What do I… mean?” He fidgeted and Cody could feel his fingers digging a bit deeper into his skin. Rex shifted his eyes to an invisible spot on Cody’s shoulder. 

His brother had never truly grasped the subtle art of talking about emotions and looking the other in the eye at the same time. He tended to overthink when talking about anything other than military jargon and it made him flustered as he could not get the words out quite like he wanted to. Not that Cody was any better at it, but he simply buried whatever he was feeling. By ignoring his own feelings, it was less difficult for him to address others when they were experiencing strong emotions that he otherwise had no training in whatsoever to deal with. Cody could thank the _Kaminiise_ for that, as they had never considered the mental toll that warfare could have on their products. They couldn’t have cared less.

“Well,” Rex started, his face scrunched up, trying to be as articulate as possible. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you grieve, but I know that you care, so… It just sounds weird, you know? Hearing you say to─ to let yourself heal first, when I’ve never seen you heal yourself.” 

“I’m a Marshall Commander, Rex.” Cody’s reply was quick. “I cannot afford to take a few hours off to grieve. I wouldn’t get anything done if I did.”

Rex looked unimpressed. “I’m no expert, but I don’t think it’s healthy to just ignore your own feelings. Even if you’re a Marshall Commander.”

Cody knew he was right, in a way, but he wasn’t about to admit it. He unlocked one of his hands from Rex’s forearm so he could use it to hold up his head as he leaned it to the side, his elbow still firmly on Rex’s knee. The movement made Rex look back to Cody as he exhaled loudly.

“It probably isn’t, but what else am I supposed to do? When you’re at the top of command, you have to make decisions that will get your men killed.” He gave Rex a pointed look. “You know this. You have to do it too. If I took my own feelings into consideration every time, we would have lost the war ages ago. Or I would have been decommissioned and replaced, which is more likely.”

He tried to make his last statement lighthearted by giving Rex a half-smile, but the simple fact was that clones had been decommissioned for less, and his smile fell flat.

“I know…” Rex’s voice was barely above a whisper, his expression pained. “You can talk to me though. I know I’m not very good at it, but… well, if you ever need to...” His eyebrows furrowed and his mouth folded down into a stubborn line. “You know that right?”

“I do, but… I’m used to it by now,” Cody said thoughtfully, shrugging. “I think I would have more difficulty talking about it than not talking about it.”

Rex snorted and rolled his eyes. “That’s not exactly a comforting thought.”

“Don’t worry about me, _kih’vod_ ,” Cody said, his smile lopsided as the mood lightened. “That’s not how this works.”

“Of course that’s how it works, you _di’kut_ ,” Rex bristled and he jerked his knee away so Cody almost fell flat on his face, but years and years of training kept him upright, barely flinching. “Besides, you’re only six months older than me so it’s not like you’re that much more mature or experienced.”

Cody’s grin was wide. “You know that for us clones, six months equates to a year, so I beg to differ, _baby brother_.”

Rex made a disgruntled sound. “Don’t call me─ Ugh! You’re such a smartass, Cody.”

“Just stating the facts.” Cody held up his hands in mock defeat before smacking his brother on his thigh plate. “Now, take off your armor. I’m going to hit the fresher.”

Cody followed his own advice and took off the rest of his armor pieces, piling it neatly on top of his bunk. Rex huffed, but he started undoing his own armor as well, piling it a little less neatly on the bunk above him. Cody purposefully bumped into Rex as he made his way to the fresher, barely avoiding Rex’s arm trying to hit him in retaliation. He snorted out a laugh, glad that the tension had left the room.

Once out of his blacks and underneath one of the showers however, ─there were five separate cubicles in total─ his mind wandered back to the mission and the men he had lost. Longshot, Tap, Blithe, Skip. He carved their names into his mind. Charger as well, even if he had not known the 501st trooper before the Citadel. Cody was already writing the mission report in his mind, determined to put their names in it, next to their serial numbers, as clones’ names were never officially recognized. Too much trouble for men who were so easily replaced. 

He thought of Echo then and he felt a sad twinge to his heart. _Echo, poor Echo_. Cody had been there for the trooper’s shiny beginning. He remembered being impressed by both Echo and Fives at the battle of Kamino. He knew talent when he saw it and it had been a simple decision for him to approve them for ARC-training. Cody knew the two of them were referred to as the Domino Twins. It suited them. There was a deep connection there that only shared trauma could create. And now one of the twins was gone. 

Massaging his furrowed brow at the swirling thoughts in his brain, Cody finally turned on the shower. He lifted his face upward, letting the droplets fall onto his eyelids, his brow, his nose. The frustration towards his general was also still there. Cody could feel it. Yet at the same time he wondered if Kenobi had been able to get himself out of captain Tarkin’s clutches by now. His general could use some solid hours of sleep, as Cody had to remind him often. 

He let the water clean away his contradicting thoughts, as he heard Rex occupying the cubicle next to him. Cody had always loved showers. There was something very relaxing about them. He loved the feel of the water against his skin, and he also loved the fact that when he was showering, he was left in peace. Most of the time anyway.  
Cody could hear Rex leaving the shower, his brother only needing the standard five minutes that troopers usually got drilled into them was enough time to get cleaned up. Remembering that restricting rule made Cody indulge in his own shower for a few minutes longer, rubbing his soapy hands through his hair and letting his nails scrape against his scalp in an attempt to knead his own stress away.

Cody shut off the water and grabbed some fresh blacks from the lockers Wolffe had mentioned. Dried and dressed, and feeling just that bit lighter, he headed back to the adjacent sleeping quarters where he saw Rex sitting on the bunk he had previously claimed, his back against the wall. His buzzed blonde hair still damp and his brow furrowed, deep in thought.

“That shower didn’t wash away your thoughts then?” Cody asked, even though his own thoughts hadn’t exactly miraculously disappeared either. 

Rex didn’t look up. Instead, he stared at his hands laying limply in his lap. “You know what really frustrates me about this mission?” he mused, his brow furrowing even more. “I thought general Skywalker cared for us. Cared for his men. But every time a brother was lost, he barely registered it. The excuse being that we had to be fast. We couldn’t linger. And then─”

“General Piell dies and suddenly we have time to not only linger, but give him a burial of some kind,” Cody interrupted, the headache he had managed to pour down the drain of the shower, along with the water, blooming again behind his eyes.

Rex looked up at Cody’s curt tone. “Yeah.”

Cody’s face was like stone. “Believe me, _vod_ , I noticed.”

“I mean…” Rex sighed, his eyebrows now arching, his face solemn. “When Charger fell into that yellow lava basin below the cliff… There was nothing any of us could have done. I know that.” He rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I just hope the mine that electrified him knocked him out or even already killed him before… Well…”

He left the rest hanging in the air. Cody could hear himself softly say, “Yeah,” trying not to imagine the alternative.

“But Echo!” Rex cried, his hands flying into the air. “When that commando droid destroyed the shuttle… Echo was pretty much right in the blast range so I know the chance was small, but still!” Rex let his arms drop back into his lap. “There was time to cross the landing platform and at least check!”

Rex’s eyes were pleading and Cody looked down, his arms crossed across his chest. “I know, _vod_ , I know.”

“But no, we were ordered to keep moving, so we left. We left and we didn’t even─ We didn’t─ There was time. We could’ve─ Could’ve checked.” Rex lowered his head, staring at nothing. He looked miserable. “But when a Jedi falls, we not only stop and check, but we take at least ten minutes to wrap him in canvas and float him into a river of lava.” 

Cody gritted his teeth. It had taken him all of his energy not to say anything about it at the time, but _kriff it_ if he didn’t feel the same way. He had stared incredulously at his general’s back when he was paying his last respects to general Piell. Cody could understand the feeling of loss and the need to pay tribute to a fallen comrade, but in the middle of a mission that had proven to be extremely perilous? Combined with the fact that every fallen brother’s body had to be left behind because of the vulnerability they found themselves in? That the only thing standing between them and Sobeck’s battle droids was speed? He couldn’t even begin to understand _that_.

“If we hadn’t,” he heard himself say, anger rising in his chest at the memory. “If we had kept our pace, maybe Skip would still be here. Him and the naval clone officer he was carrying on his back.” 

Skip had always been a very serious trooper who didn’t talk much. He was reliable and thorough though, so Cody had never minded his taciturn demeanor. Skip was a man who got the job done, which had been Cody’s reason for picking him out of his squad for this mission. Cody was certain he would’ve gotten the job done if that commando droid hadn’t shot his zipline. And that commando droid wouldn’t have been able to shoot his zipline if they had just kept moving.

“Yeah,” Rex agreed easily. His tactical brain working out the alternate scenario. “Every one of us would have been safely at the bottom of that cliff before the droids caught on to us.”

And Rex was right. If Cody had been in charge, he knew he would have kept them moving, like they had been doing all this time, and it might have just saved two other brothers’ lives. But he hadn’t been the one in charge and he could not do anything about it now. He breathed in and out slowly, letting the anger he had just felt lower itself again. There was no point in thinking like this. Cody knew that Rex was only venting and he would indulge him for a while, but it was also important to realize that none of what had happened was anyone’s fault. Not anyone specific at least. Decisions were made. It was only afterwards that any of them saw that some had been the wrong decisions.

Cody moved towards Rex and sat down on the side of his bunk.

“I know it’s tempting to think this way, Rex, but we cannot afford to do so.” Rex looked up at that and Cody continued. “It doesn’t help anyone to point fingers after the deed is done. We have to trust in our generals. I do believe most of them don’t just see us as cannon fodder, but the fact remains that we cannot keep everyone from dying in this war. There will always be casualties. And even though our generals are Jedi, they’re not perfect beings. They make mistakes.”

He gripped one of his brother’s hands in his own and squeezed once before letting go.

“I know. You’re right,” Rex conceded. “I just…”

“I get what you’re trying to say, _vod_. It’s not fair. None of it is.” Cody slid further onto the bunk and Rex instinctively shifted his legs so Cody could use the freed space to sit on, his back reclined against the pole that connected the lower bunk with the upper bunk, so he could face his brother. Cody’s mouth set into a tight line. “When Longshot was caught in that electrified wall… It took all of my willpower to leave him there.”

Longshot had been more than one of his men. He had been his friend. Longshot had even been in Ghost Company long before Marshall Commander Cody came into the picture, seeing as he had missed the first battle of Geonosis. He had earned his name for being one of the best snipers in the 212th Legion. And he had died simply because he had been the last one in the boobytrapped hallway. He never had a chance outrunning that wall. The only thing Cody had felt at that moment was disbelief. He had cried out Longshot’s name without realizing it and he had nearly snarled at Kenobi when his general had said they had to keep moving. Not because Cody didn’t agree but because it had sounded like a reprimand.

Cody was very good at keeping his facial expressions in check, but sometimes he was glad he could hide behind his helmet.

Cody’s headache hit him in full force at the memory and the fact that he dreaded the moment he was going to be back with the 212th. He would have to see Wooley, Crys, Waxer and Boil slump into sadness as he and general Kenobi would be the only ones to return to the Negotiator. He would have to tell them that their squad mate wasn’t coming back. He already knew it would be especially hard for Wooley, as he and Longshot had developed a very strong friendship over the years. Longshot had been the one to take Wooley under his wing when he was just a shiny on his first mission to Ryloth, and Wooley had been the one to make Longshot loosen up more, his sniper-like focus softening along with Wooley’s easy laughter. 

Cody was shaken out of his impending dread by Rex’s foot shifting closer to his thigh. “What happened to your other troopers after we split up?” he asked, both curious and concerned.

Cody didn’t really want to relive it all. He was tempted to simply say “they died” or “you’ll read it in the mission report” but Rex deserved more than that. It was just the two of them. Cody started talking. 

“We were trying to reach the landing platform through the Citadel’s ventilation shafts. We weren’t even halfway when we blundered into a probe droid who managed to notify the enemy about our presence before general Piell could destroy it. There was an alarm and the security hatches began shutting off the vents…” Cody swallowed and his mouth went dry. “Tap was right in between a hatch. He was cut in half.”

Rex visibly winced and Cody pulled up his knees, enveloping them with his arms and resting his chin on top of them. 

Tap had been someone who loved pulling pranks on his brothers. It was his way of keeping things light when everything else seemed dark. His squad mates had usually been the ones Tap targeted the most and they got quite exasperated about it at times, but Cody knew the moment they would hear Tap had died and _how_ he had died, they would miss even the most annoying pranks he had ever pulled on them.

“After that, we were trapped right before reaching the shuttle by a squad of battle droids and forced to surrender,” he continued. “We were brought before Sobeck. He wanted general Piell to give up his half of the information but he refused. Sobeck shot Blithe through the head in retaliation. He was going to do the same to Skip when Sobeck’s tactical droid alerted him that they had found your team and we were escorted to the interrogation chamber. Luckily we bumped into R2 and his three altered B1 battle droids. We got to the landing platform, and well… you know the rest.” 

Cody tried to think about the fact that a shot through the head was probably the fastest and least painful way to die, but to have your life snatched away so callously, in the blink of an eye… Cody failed to see the mercy in it. 

He was sure Blithe would have felt the same way. Clones rarely talked about “after the war” but Blithe had been someone who did so more than others. He had seen how natborns lived during the 212th Legion’s many planetary missions. On one such a mission Cody’s men had been stationed at a farmer’s village and as such, they got a glimpse at the everyday life of these villagers. Cody had heard several troopers dreaming loudly of such a peaceful existence, but Blithe had dreamed the loudest. Declaring that _after the war_ , he would go back to that village and become a farmer himself. It only took one blaster bolt through the head for Blithe to never realize that dream.

Cody rubbed a hand over his face and sighed loudly. Probably noticing his brother’s inner turmoil, Cody could feel Rex scooting towards him until their knees touched and Cody opened his legs so they could huddle even closer. His right leg pinned between Rex’s knees and vice versa. Rex snaked his hand around the back of Cody’s neck, the warmth of his palm melting away the goosebumps he had involuntarily gathered while reliving the last couple of hours and the little clues of his men’s individuality, and pulled their foreheads together. His eyes closed.

“I’m sorry about your men, Cody.”

Cody melted into his brother’s touch and mimicked his position, his own hand enveloping the back of Rex’s neck, his fingers brushing lightly over the short hairs there. Cody’s eyes fluttered shut as their proximity made his headache and the vivid images in his mind fade.

“I’m sorry too, Rex,” he breathed. “I’m sorry too.”

\--

**Author's Note:**

>  **Mando’a translations** :  
> Vod = brother  
> Khi’vod = little brother  
> Ori’vod = big brother  
> Kaminiise = Kaminoans  
> Di’kut = idiot
> 
>  **Other translations** :  
> Kriff it = according to Wookieepedia it’s like ‘fuck it’ but less explicit  
> Natborns = natural born people (so non-clones, essentially)
> 
>  **Some more author’s notes** : I may or may not write a continuation where Rex goes looking for Fives and they work through the trauma of losing Echo together, but let’s see how this oneshot does first. I also just realized the title is probably very boring, but I couldn’t find anything else that fit.


End file.
